14th June, 2023 19:45 CAT (or at least I thought that was the time).....
*****
I'm not still sure if it was the strawberry splash that got too sweet or the sigh of relief knowing I was only a few yards away from home to relieve my right arm that carried my heavy handbag (also known as my makeshift home😅)..
.... I really don't know what diverted my attention and held my guard down from the surroundings for a split second that day.
Before I could say YABA- a fair-skinned gent (no younger than 23) from a white Toyota Allion (that honestly seemed to have appeared from nowhwere) swang at me from the car's rear window.
I was so caught off guard at why this gent was reaching for my strawberry splash😅 that was now lying strewn on Benakale Road.....
Didn't he know it cost K30 & forfeited tomorrow's lunch?
Follow me carefully now- because a lot happened in this very split second....
And again before I could say NGEFI... I realised Mr. Fair Skinned didnt want my splash! Yamaz had swung for my handbag!
Now this bag wasn't your regular lady-handbag...
This handbag had my life's contents: my purse with all IDs, my large tub of body cream just purchased, my most loved jotter, my sister's Tupperware with remnants of my work lunch, spare toothbrush, toothpaste, favourite pens... See if I could fit my work uniform in this bag, I would've 😂... This was a makeshift home (not that I have no permanent residence)...It's just me to carry everything everywhere!
While it dawned on me I was in a tassle for my handbag in my OWN neighbourhood, life if this battle was lost flashed before my eyes.... And you know what became of Peter when he stopped looking at Jesus on his first attempt at walking on water.
My loss of focus in this scuffle coupled with Yamaz pulling a pocket knife -towards the bag's straps before my hysterical screaming drew a crowd- compelled me to let go while I screamed at the car speed off into Great East Road.
What just happened?
Did I just star in one of those early 2000s Nigerian blockbusters that introduced us to African armed robbery? Because how else did I just witness this?
Then the feelings came. Alongside reality.
I was mugged. I was robbed. Someone violated me.
I had no bag. Or purse. I thought to call my sister... wait..I had no phone. Not the one I used for work/ business. Not even the one I had borrowed a few months ago- whose screen I intended to fix as a sign of gratitude on handing it back to it's owner.
I think that when I stopped screaming.
I realised I had nothing & screaming wasn't going to help anymore.
I had no ID, no bank cards, no lotion, not the weeks allocated money nor my last dosage of Amoxicillin from the previous weekend's bout of a cold😂 not even the strawberry splash I sacrificed tomorrow's lunch for.
The commotion of the guards in the street throwing stones at the speeding car, the drive by a well-wisher to the nearby police station and consequently how I got home and into my bedroom was a blur.
I HAD BEEN ROBBED.
*****
The repercussions of this "snatch & run" have cost me time on projects, customers (work & business) and ultimately money.
But I gained more than lost:
1. A bigger dose of tenacity. And who wouldn't standing for 11 hours in line waiting to replace an NRC🙄. Not a tear shed (I cry more than my tough exterior).
2.My vulnerability taught me a bigger sense of gratitude. Not one who likes to beg, I had to rely on my elder sister for everything that required a coin- at 27 years old!
3. Throughout the ordeal of recovering the little but crucial things lost..not once did I wish those thieving boys harm. Lesa talala pamwesu. This was my biggest gain.
Am I okay? Not quite, I don't think I'll ever be.
I walk faster (or run🏃🏿♂️) at the sight of a car in a street-PTSD much😅.
I dread walking after 5pm.
Worse still, I dare not carry a handbag lest I'm spotted again 😅.
I can laugh about it now because, nivi life che.
